Ireland manager gets prime minister Martin’s backing in row with Israel over ‘genocide’

Ireland’s prime minister Micheál Martin backed football manager Heimir Hallgrímsson after Israel’s football federation accused Hallgrímsson of “stupidity, ignorance and hypocrisy” over Gaza comments. In New York for the UN general assembly, Martin called the IFA response unacceptable and said it should be withdrawn. Hallgrímsson had said before Nations League fixtures against Israel on 27 September and 4 October: “We’re not playing with genocide, we’re playing against genocide.”